Golden Ice
by stupidquestions
Summary: The first time Peter hurt him Neal swears it was purely an accident. WARNINGS: Abuse and depression.


The first time Peter hurt him Neal swears it was purely an accident, consequently it pushed him into a downward spiral of fear and pain and put Peter in a rollercoaster ride of guilt and anger. It would also possibly bring one of best duos the FBI has ever seen to an ugly end.

**Peter:**

It had been three days since we got El back from Keller and three days since Keller somehow magically escaped from my agents with over half of the U-boat treasure. Unfortunately he hadn't taken any of the items on the registry. I had my suspicions about how he got away. Neal had been with him for well over two hours without monitoring before Keller left, leaving Neal in rope ties that everyone knew Neal could get out of if he had tried. Happy as I was to have my wife back unharmed and relatively unnerved I just couldn't shake my feeling that Neal had cut a deal with El's capturer. So there I was, standing at his door at the top of Junes house. I knocked three times and Neal still hadn't answered the door that was currently locked. The only thing I got was a feeble assurance that he'd be there soon, He was probably running around his apartment trying to cover up all evidence of whatever con he was currently plotting.

Finally after five minutes of standing there a disheveled looking Neal opened the door. "Peter, why are you here?" the hostility in his voice reminded me that Neal's a smart man, I wasn't surprised he knew I was just as suspicious of him as ever.

"I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to you yet. What took you so long to answer the door?" Immediately I walked past him, wandering around the room. Looking for any crooked wall paintings or slightly opened cupboard, anyplace Neal could hide incriminating evidence. Neal sighed, shut the door, and stood near the table. "So, what were you doing?"

"What business is it to you?" Smart ass remark, like always.

"Everything you do is my business Neal. You know why?" I now stood in front of him.

"Peter don't tell me you care about me!" Sarcasm is common with Neal also.

"You are under my custody! That means the every fuck up you do is my responsibility to clean up!" I was getting louder and angrier. "Now tell me what were you just doing before I got here?"

"Jesus Peter, I was in the bathroom. No reason to send your hound dogs after me." Neal cast his eyes down and he was shaky maybe even a little sweaty. I've never seen him lie this horribly. It enraged me further to know that even now after everything he's done with his lies he's still doing it. "Now if you'd excuse me I was about to get some-"

"I'm not done with you." I stepped even closer, towering over him. Sickened by what ugly secrets a pretty face could hide.

"Ok then tell me why you're here." Neal tried to take a step back but I wasn't going to let him go that easily. I grabbed onto his arm tightly. He gasped and after looking at me in a few moments of confusion he tried to pull his arm away, I held tighter. "Peter-Peter let me go…" He began to struggle more and his breathing got more heavy.

"Not until I get some answers! Did you cut a deal with Keller? Huh, did you help him escape if he gave you a portion of the money he's going to make out of the treasure?" He squirmed some more so I yanked on his arm to get him to stop. He backed up into the table and a glass fell to the floor and shards scattered everywhere behind him.

"S-stop, Peter let go! You're scaring me!" I knew that he was lying, he just wanted to play the victim.

"Answer me Neal!" I shook him again.

"NO! Peter no I didn't! Please just stop this!" If I didn't know any better I might have believed him.

"Don't give me any of that bull shit! I know you did! You could have gotten out of those ropes and stopped him at any time but you let him go! He captured me once and then my wife and you let him go!"

"I couldn't! I couldn't get out of the ropes and I tried! He drugged me."

"That's a lie Neal and you know it!" He got his arm free and tried to make a run for it but I grabbed his other arm and pulled him back. As if in slow motion I saw his foot slip and watched him fall backwards as his arm slipped from my hand and he crashed on top of the broken glass that I had barely even registered being there moments before. I stood frozen, realizing what just happened.

Neal was slowly crawling away blood trailing behind him until he stopped a couple of feet away from the bathroom door. There he sat and began picking the shards out of his arms and hands. He didn't say anything, he didn't even seem to notice that I was still there until he looked around dazed. He saw me still standing in my spot by the table.

"Neal…I-I…" I didn't know what to say to him. Had I really just done that to Neal? My ears roared painfully.

"Peter," Neal began as he used the wall to help him up, leaving blood smeared on it as well. "Peter don't."

I snapped back into action and was at his side in moments. "What did I do?"

"No, Peter don't." Neal stopped me. "You didn't do this. Okay?"

"What? What are you saying?" I was confused as hell.

"You didn't do this to me. I-I got too drunk and broke a glass then I slipped on the wine when I went to pick it up." He sounded like he was pleading with me now.

"You want me to lie about this…to lie about hurt-" I couldn't finish. As angry as I was with him I never wanted to hurt him.

"Just believe it. It's not a lie if you believe it. Everything's going to be okay Peter." He began to reach for my had but stopped when he looked at the blood. "No one will know Peter, because there is nothing else to be known. Everything's going to be alright, now go home to El."

"Let me help you." I reached for him this time but was abruptly stopped when I saw him wince away.

"It's okay. I've got this. Go home, have dinner with your wife. I'll see you at work.

With one last look he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.


End file.
